PETITION LAUNCHED TO OPPOSE PROPOSED WIND FARMS
February 23, 2015QUEEN’S PARK – Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli launched a petition today in opposition to
two wind farm projects being proposed in Merrick and Mattawan Townships.
“Local First Nations, property owners and aviation & aerospace industry stakeholders
have voiced concerns about these wind farm installations,” said Fedeli. “On top of that,
the Auditor General has also told us the subsidies paid to wind power developers in
Ontario have literally cost us billions of dollars without actually increasing green energy.”
Wind power is simply unreliable, blows mostly at night when we don’t need power,
creating a surplus Ontario then has to get rid of by paying Quebec and the United
States to take it, Fedeli added. The Auditor General says the total cost of producing
that exported power was about $2.6 billion more than the revenue Ontario received
from exporting that power between 2006 and 2013.
Fedeli further noted the difference between the market price for power and the price paid
to wind developers goes into the global adjustment, which Ontario ratepayers and
businesses bear the brunt of. The Auditor says the global adjustment rose from $700
million prior to the Green Energy Act to $7.7 billion by 2013, and over the past decade,
the accumulated amount is about $50 billion.
“Is it any wonder Ontario now has the highest industrial rates in North America, and
residential hydro bills are forecast to increase 42% by 2018 after peak hydro rates have
already more than tripled since 2003?” asked Fedeli.
“The government needs to reverse course on these proposed wind projects, cancel
feed-in tariff (FIT) subsidies, implement an immediate moratorium on wind power
development, and give municipalities veto authority over wind projects in their
communities,” Fedeli concluded.
For more information, or to arrange an interview, contact:
Clint Thomas
Executive Assistant
(416) 325-3434 or (416) 710-1752